Detrital zircon grains of an igneous rock as seen through an incident light microscope. Photo credit: Martin Lindner. From: Költringer Geology November 21, 2023 Case Study: detrital zircon [ED: On the occasion of releasing a new dataset: ON-004-04D Data tables of detrital zircon U-Pb geochronologic analyses and trace element concentrations of select Cretaceous, Paleogene, and Neogene rocks, Denver Basin and Northeastern Colorado (Data) – v20231110 that features data on 10 samples tested from a…
Aggregate quarry near Durango Energy, Minerals, Publications February 4, 2022 IS-84 Colorado Mineral and Energy Industry Activities 2020-2021 – bibliography Every year, the CGS Minerals section prepares a comprehensive survey of the mineral and energy industries across the state. The 2020-2021 report isn’t finished quite yet, but the comprehensive bibliographic list that it is based on is. This list includes state, local and federal government sources, as well as private…
Detail from one of over 600 Denver Basin geophysical and lithological logs included in the ON-OF-78-08M digitization project. Photo credit: Colorado Geological Survey. Geology, Minerals, Publications June 3, 2021 New GIS data and maps For those of you who are subscribers to the CGS announcement list, we want to direct your attention to a handful of new maps and recently digitized analog data sets that we haven’t otherwise publicized. These include several important online GIS maps and downloadable data packages:…
A uranium-rich zone in a sandstone of the Morrison Formation, Carnation Mine, San Miguel County, CO, January 2007. Photo credit: Chris Carroll (CGS). Energy, Minerals February 19, 2020 Colorado’s Uranium Deposits [Ed: this document, written in 2011 by Jim Burnell, Ph.D., P.G. (former Senior Minerals Geologist, Colorado Geological Survey), provides an excellent narrative on the sources of uranium deposits on the Western Slope of Colorado. However, it’s not the whole story—there is fascinating new science research implicating biological/organismic activity underground that…
Uranium roll front hosted in Dakota Sandstone Energy, Minerals August 14, 2018 Geology of Uranium Deposits in Colorado Uranium is a widespread and ubiquitous element. It has a crustal abundance of 2.8 parts per million, slightly more than tin. Primary deposits of uranium tend to concentrate in granitic or alkalic volcanic rocks, hydrothermal veins, marine black shales, and early Precambrian age placer deposits. Secondary (or epigenetic) deposits of…